Beer Trader

Dogfish brews good beer, but they are successful and expanding based on that success(rather than taking out a giant loan from venture capitalists), so they suck now. If they would just not sell so much beer and stay small, then they would kick ass again. Smh.

Beer Trader

Definitely agree about Ta Henkett, I actually considered a drain pour with that one...but I don't think they were going for pleasing taste as much as accurately recreating what the people of ancient times over there drank. He was willing to take that risk, I give him credit for that, but I don't ever plan on having it again.

Dogfish is better at marketing than at brewing beer. How many ridiculous marketing schemes can one brewery come up with?

Maybe their next beer should be dedicated to Creed.

Click to expand...

How is experimenting and having fun necessarily related to marketing? Sure some their stuff is gimmicky, but who are you to say it's simply a ploy to get people to spend? Isn't that the point of business anyway?

Beer Trader

I give DFH tons of credit expanding at a rate that allows them to maintain complete control of the brewery. No doubt they have been approached countless times by VC willing to fund massive expansion. It must be extremely difficult to pass on some of those offers. As far as marketing and branding it seems some people consider them too mainstream because they are successful at it. When the brewery name comes up I can visualize exactly what they stand for I can't say the same for most breweries even if they produce amazing beer. I do admit they are one of my favorites and I do believe they produce a very high quality product and run an amazing business.

They have enough credibility with me that if they produce an experimental beer I will give it a try but that doesn't mean I like all of them but I do appreciate their R&D process and the risk they take. The ancient ale series and other experimental brews are not brewed for the hype but for the genuine curiosity.

I can't really take some posters seriously when they say _____ is literally the worst beer I've ever had. I respect everyones opinions and taste but their are more constructive ways to voice those opinions. Obviously because of how unique some of their brews are they never really conform to style guidelines so I find it hard to review them and make comparisons. Sam has always been upfront that the beers he brews are not for everyone and that he respects peoples difference in taste.

Beer Trader

If you have never read brewing up a business Id recommend it. ( not a plug)

This thread reminds me of a story he tells in the book how when he opened the brew pub they wanted to attract a younger crowd who might appreciate the beer and had an event with a DJ and if you brought a piece of wood for the fire you got a free beer or some discount. Anyways he goes on to explain while the first time they had this event they had a good turnout but the college age crowd would be pounding the beer because of the high alc and were asking if they had anything like bud. He realized early that there was little appreciation for the beer itself from the target audience at the time because all they cared about was getting drunk.

From then on he let the business grow from the base of those who really appreciated it and recommended it to others. If being mainstream means having a dedicated fan base that grew gradually and then had others jump on the bandwagon because they were offered the chance to do a tv show then I don't think they mind.

Dogfish brews good beer, but they are successful and expanding based on that success(rather than taking out a giant loan from venture capitalists), so they suck now. If they would just not sell so much beer and stay small, then they would kick ass again. Smh.

Click to expand...

Don't forget about Stone and their multiple rejections to VC offers. They're constantly expanding, therefore they MUST be terrible too.

Beer Trader

For those of you who don't like Dogfish Head. What would you rather they do differently? Do they not make any styles you like? Don't make enough styles? The beers just doesn't taste good?

Click to expand...

I respect what Sam's done to promote craft beer, but I do not like his beer. In general I find his beers sweet with an unrefined flavor I can't pinpoint and it's in everything I drink from DFH. I get the same instant headache from DFH beers that get from Belgium beers.